Memories For Sinking Ships
by KarmicRogue
Summary: A GotM Prequel type thing exploring the backstory of Rei and Michiru's relationship and childhood. The title was not intended to be a terrible joke but it just kind of worked out that way. "I know what we are, but not what we may be." - William Shakespeare. Warning: will contain possible triggers and delicate subject matter.
1. Prologue: Dust of the Desert

Prologue: Dust Of The Desert

No one is free, even the birds are chained to the sky.

Bob Dylan

 **NEREID**

I had not spoken to Lady Aphrodite XXVII many times but despite that her agitation and urgency had shone through clearly when she had relayed her request to me. At the time it had seemed rather... uncalled for; but now that I was walking across the red plains of Mars the urgency and underlying fear seemed far more sensible.

Violence hung heavy in the atmosphere, the sound of battle echoing through the smoky air. The air carried with it the scent of death but it was only as I crested the next set of hills that I took in the full extent of what was happening.

A young girl, surrounded by an inferno, was holding an entire regiment of soldiers at bay. I could see the wild eyed rage in the girl's form as she knelt beside the bloodied body of one of the priestesses. The pain in her was to an extent that it made the girl seem almost uncomprehending of the world around her... and of what she was doing.

I watched on in horror as men were incinerated with nothing more than a look from the child. The ground was cracked and blackened about her from the heat that radiated off her body. Her hands clutched uselessly at the fabric of the woman's robes, not burning them despite the fact the child's hands were wrapped in flames.

I felt a stirring of surprise, I had been told that I was going to Mars to retrieve the girl who was betrothed to Lady Aphrodite's eldest daughter, I had also been told that the girl was Cycnus' daughter and the Avatar of Ares... but I hadn't expected this.

Agonized screams rent the air as the fire arched between the soldiers who approached, this time their end was not swift and painless... it was drawn out in a deliberate manner.

I fought down the wave of sickness I felt, drawing on what moisture I could to try and dispel her chaotic outburst. However it turned out I wasn't needed, the Autokrator of Mars intervened before I could act.

A vicious clash of power had the flames racing towards nonexistence, the crackling roar faded as quickly as it had appeared but the heat lingered... clutching us in its stifling grasp. The power that filled the air ebbed away as Cycnus loomed over the girl before viciously backhanding her.

When the girl faded out of consciousness all that was left behind was ash to be cast across the Martian desert by the wind... the bodies of friend and foe alike were simply gone. Cycnus brought his sword up, preparing to execute the girl as Aphrodite had predicted.

"Stop." I ordered in Martian, my voice stopping him dead in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder, hiding his surprise at seeing me; instead projecting an air of irritability.

"With all due respect Queen Nereid, you have no authority over anyone on Mars." He said scathingly. Nonetheless he sheathed his sword and approached me, stepping over the unconscious form of the girl I knew to be his daughter.

"That's where you're be wrong, Autokrator, because I am giving the order on behalf of someone you have sworn to obey." I told him firmly, holding out the amended Alliance for him to read. "If you wish to remain a part of the Alliance, and continue to benefit from all treaties and trade agreements contained within it, you will not kill that girl."

"Is that a threat?" He growled, some of his guard were approaching. I met his eyes solidly, refusing to back down.

"Take it as you like, Cycnus." I told him, we'd had dealings before and I was very familiar with the way Martians tended to communicate. All negotiations were handled from a position of strength... or at least they tried to maintain the illusion of it.

Cycnus' demeanour was almost overpowering, I knew he was ruthless when he needed to be and this matter was no different. From what I understood, this... this massacre was the final step in removing the threat of a religious order on Mars. I had only basic knowledge about the group but I knew enough that this level of brutality was uncommon from the Autokrator.

There was something else at work here, every other time the Bonehunters in question had simply been removed from the equation and prevented from spreading the 'poison' as Cycnus put it. This time there was malice in his actions rather than just the drive of necessity. This butchering of the final stronghold of the Bonehunter religion was uncharacteristic on Cycnus' behalf. That meant this was going to be one of the times the unpredictable aspect of Cycnus' character would take a hold of my dealings with him. And with Cycnus... unpredictable was deadly.

Cycnus studied me for a moment then relaxed with a noise that sounded impressed... and surprisingly close to a laugh.

"Fine." He grumbled as he snatched the papers from my hand. "I'll read the damn thing."

There was silence as he flicked through the papers, his scowl deepening as he read. Finally he looked up at me again, anger was burning in his eyes and I could already see the scorch marks spreading across the pages.

"They want _her_ as a part of the treaty?" He snarled, causing the papers in his hands to catch fire. I let them burn, if Cycnus wanted to fight this there was nothing a piece of paper could do to stop it. It would have to be done in a more direct and upfront manner... one with no room for misunderstanding or misinterpretation.

Sparks started to fly through the air and flames licked the earth, edging closer and closer to the girl. I felt a surge of motherly protectiveness flare within me, prompting me to douse his creeping flames. The hiss of steam drowned out the sound of crackling fire.

"I am owed, Cycnus." I told him quietly, drawing his full attention. He gestured for the Crimson Guard to leave his side as he came closer; trying to keep this conversation just between us. He knew as well as I did that this would be the final attempt at negotiating before a decision was reached.

And he had to maintain the appearance of strength... or risk having his planet snatched out from beneath his feet.

"In return for all I, and Neptune, have done for you and your people... Honour the Alliance. Unless you want the relationship our planets have to become strained." I continued my spiel in an undertone, I needed for him to keep up the show of strength just as much as he did. If he were to be overthrown all my hard work for peace between the planets would come undone. There were far worse rulers on Mars than the current Autokrator.

"Is that a threat, Nereid?" He asked, his eyes hard.

"It is a request." I paused, kneeling down next to the girl and looking away from his gaze before continuing. "Unless you refuse to spare her life."

There was a long, icy, silence between us before Cycnus broke it with a sigh, it was as close to defeat as I'd ever seen him.

"The amended treaty states that she is to visit me on Neptune once a year until she reaches the age of majority to..." I paused, trying to remember the diplomatic wording of the agreement. When it wasn't put in political terms the arrangement sounded rather judgemental of Cycnus' rule.

"To make sure she still lives...I _did_ read the document, Nereid." He grumbled, finishing my sentence for me. "Consider this the first inspection and get her off my damn planet."

AN: Well, I seem to be on a roll. Hopefully the start of this story lived up to your expectations and all that. Maybe I'll actually see how much more I can get up on the site before my weekend is over... I'm really quite captivated by the whole damn series at the moment and should probably take advantage of the internet access (and my creative streak) while I can.


	2. Chapter One: Woke in a Dream

1.) Woke In A Dream – Age 6

Make the best use of what is in your power and take the rest as it happens.  
\- Epictetus

 **NEREID**

The terror I perceived in her went far beyond anything I'd known.

"You're safe here, child." I said softly in Martian, the words and inflection rusty in even my mind. There were some parts of the language that were never used during diplomatic negotiation, but those were the parts required of me now.

Rei hesitated, curling further in on herself if that were at all possible before asking the most heart breaking question I could imagine.

"Where's my mom?"

The words came out small and frightened, something I'd never imagined the Martian dialect capable of producing. And those words thrust burning fingers into my chest, refusing to let go. That same motherly instinct I'd felt back on Mars swept over me again. I reached out, unable to help myself despite the fact my mind was screaming that she was dangerous.

"Oh sweetheart." I breathed in Neptunian, hoping that she could tell by my tone I had no intention to harm her. I wanted nothing more than to make things better for her, to be able to tell her that her mother was simply out of the room and would be back in a moment.

"I'm sorry." I continued as I reverted back to Martian, watching as Rei's fists clenched and her lip trembled. Some part of her already seemed to know the answer to her question. "I'm so sorry Rei, but your mother is gone."

"Gone?" Came the quiet echo, small hands gripping at the hem of her borrowed shirt, before she looked up and met my eyes. The comprehension in them was terrifying. "She's not coming back, is she?"

"No. I'm sorry Rei. She isn't."

Rei gave a small nod, her shoulders hunching and head curling down towards her chest, her small frame becoming even smaller in her grief.

I sat in next to Rei's bed, holding her hand as she finally drifted off to sleep. I gave a sigh, wondering if she would ever truly be okay again. I shook my head, pulling a blanket over her as I stood from my seat. Hopefully she would be able to rest now... at least for a bit.

Proteus reached out towards me, almost as if he wanted to pull me away from her. I knew logically he would be right in trying to do that, she was dangerous right now... but all I could see was a small, frightened, broken piece of human being. I stepped out of his arms and approached Rei, drawing on the mist that hung outside.

I slowly and carefully engulfed Rei's burning hands in my own, making sure to create a perpetual stream of water over my skin; preventing her from burning me. I could hear the water sizzling away from my barrier continuously, a small curtain of steam rising between the two of us which I fed back into my protection.

I knelt down in front of her, meeting her eyes searchingly. She looked like she wasn't even seeing me. Her eyes were clouded and her tiny frame was shaking.

"Rei?" I asked softly, not wanting to scare her any more than she already was. She didn't reply but her attention seemed to focus on me as her eyes cleared. Almost immediately, she tried to jerk her hands back out of my grip but I kept a firm grasp on her. "Rei? What's wrong?"

"You're safe, Rei. There's nothing to be afraid of here." I continued, doing my best to keep a hold of her as she struggled. I pulled her closer to me, noticing that as I did so she made a conscious effort to lessen the flames that burned around us.

I frowned slightly, realizing that she was already coming to fear her powers. She was trying to get away from me so she wouldn't hurt me.

"No. Don't" Rei finally said, her voice small and terrified. "Let me go."

I refused to listen, instead wrapping her in a hug; pulling her on to my lap and just sat there as she fought with me.

"You're in control of it, Rei. There's nothing to worry about." I told her, even though I knew she wasn't controlling it right now and that there was a very good reason to worry... but I knew she could get it under control, she just needed a bit of help.

I could still feel my barriers getting burned away as I kept her wrapped firmly in my arms. I just held her there until she stopped fighting me and the flames finally died away. She was still shaking violently as if she was chilled to the bone. I removed one of my arms from the containing embrace to settle it on her back. I rubbed it comfortingly, whispering reassurances as I did so.

"See?" I prompted, trying to catch her eye. She remained curled inwards, her eyes downcast in what seemed like shame. "You can control it. It's nothing to be scared of."

"But..." She murmured, looking up and meeting my eyes. I could see the fear and concern in her. I took one hand away from her back, keeping my other arm wrapped around her as I showed her my palm; it was unmarred by her fire.

"You didn't hurt me. Rei, look." I told her, her gaze turned downwards again and her small hands wrapped around mine, turning it, inspecting it for evidence of injury. She looked back up at me, her gaze confused and questioning. "See? You can control it."

"She very clearly wasn't controlling it, Nereid." Proteus finally said after Rei had fallen asleep in my

arms, his voice was tight. "Lying to her about what she was doing isn't going to help."

"Proteus, having her fear it will only make it worse. She doesn't need to know the damage she can cause, you didn't see it. She..." I let out a sigh, remembering what I had come across on Mars. The fact that a child could hold that sheer destructive force inside was baffling. She was so innocent. So alone. So wounded.

"She needs to learn how to control it before it controls her. For that she needs to trust in herself and trust in me. We didn't expect Michiru to have it completely under control all the time, especially at this age. It should be no different for Rei." I continued once I'd gotten myself under control a bit more. The thought of what Rei could do still terrified me but I wasn't about to let anyone know that. Her especially.

"Michiru wasn't able to burn down the entire palace, sweetheart." Proteus chided, but his voice was beginning to show acceptance of my words.

"She's with us now and we're not going to treat her any differently than we did Michiru. We'll teach her to control it the same way we did with our daughter, the same way Neptunians always teach their children: with compassion, comfort, and, hopefully, some amount of enjoyment. I will not have her fear this." I told him firmly, his stern expression slowly faded into a smile.

"We can still put her in a less flammable room though, right?" He asked, I laughed quietly not wanting to wake Rei.

"Yes. I think that would be an effective countermeasure." I told him, looking down at the small burns on Rei's hands. "At least until she's more comfortable with her power."

I wasn't sure what the limitations of her powers were, right now it seemed she could control the flames to some extent but I could see the proof of the fact that she could still be hurt by it. Whether from her own lack of control or from the embers of the burning furniture I couldn't tell. Either way it meant that she had hurt herself... but not others.

Not yet at least.

Proteus laid his hand on my shoulder, the weight of it causing me to turn and look at him.

"You're not coming back to our bed tonight, are you?" He asked, a fond look in his eyes.

"I think I'm going to stay with her in the infirmary." I told him, he leaned down kissing the top of my head.

"Try and get some sleep at least." He advised before walking to the door. I stood up, being careful not to jostle Rei. He glanced down at her, a bit of a grin on his face now. "I have the feeling you're going to need all the rest you can get. This one looks like she might _actually_ come to try your patience."

And with that he was headed back to our bed as I made my way to the infirmary.

AN: Okay, well I'm struggling with writing kids about as much as I thought I would... which is to say as much as humanly possible. Hopefully I'll be able to bring in more of the girls pov soon rather than just exploring Nereid. Never planned on having this story be fully told, rather I wanted to reveal fragments of it. Aim for about 1500 words per chapter until about chapter 5 or 6 when Michiru and Rei are old enough to carry on a coherent narrative.


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